Multi-objective design optimisation of transition zones between different railway track forms

Paper in proceedings, 2018

The vertical dynamic interaction between vehicle and railway track is simulated in the time domain using an extended state space vector approach. The track model includes a transition zone between slab track on a bridge and ballasted track on an embankment. By considering a multi-objective optimisation problem, solved using a genetic algorithm, selected vehicle and track responses are simultaneously minimised by optimising the distributions of rail pad stiffness and sleeper spacing in the transition zone. It is shown that the magnitudes of the maximum dynamic loads in the optimised transition zone can be reduced to be similar as the magnitudes far away from the transition zone.